The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Lann quickly cleared the pass. Due to a major misunderstanding, Queen Calanthe distanced him from everything related to Ciri's marriage.

On the other hand, Mousesack was excluded by the queen because he tacitly supported Ciri and Lann getting closer.

These alienations caused the queen to not notify Mousesack as soon as possible after receiving the news that the princess was missing. Instead, she sent soldiers to search for her, and then all the soldiers and the princess disappeared. Only now was the situation so critical that he had no choice but to seek Mousesack's help.

As expected of her, Queen Calanthe is headstrong and arbitrary. When Lann first read the novels in The Witcher series, he was so angry at this character that he almost thought she was a villain.

The cause of the change on Mousesack's side has been determined, so what happened to Ciri's side? Why is it still in the forest and not coming out until now?

Lann couldn't think of an answer.

Mousesack said anxiously: "Time waits for no one, Lann. I am here just to ask you to go to Brokilon to find Ciri first."

"I will help you open the portal and send you directly to Brokilon. But my portal can't stay open for long, so you can only take a small team with you."

"And I..." Mousesack took a deep breath. "I need to have a good talk with Her Majesty the Queen, and then I will take the escort to meet you."

"It's enough for me to bring my horse and attendants." Lann said decisively. "Teleport me directly to Brokilon. I have a city nearby as my territory and there are local soldiers who are familiar with the surroundings. It is time for them to serve their lord."

The two quickly made a plan and reached a consensus.

At the same time, the system sound sounded.

[Mission discovered-Princess in Distress: Princess Cirilla, who escaped from marriage, strayed into Brokilon Forest, known as the 'Forest of Death', and there was no news. The anxious Druid came to seek your help. Even if he doesn't ask, you still have the responsibility, because you know it's your responsibility, and she is your princess.]

[Accept/Reject]

...

Brokilon Forest, written in Elder Speech as Brokiloén, is a large area of primeval forest surrounded by Verden, Kerack, Brugge and Temeria.

The forest is rich in natural resources but is inhabited by dryads. The enmity between the dryads and humans has existed for a long time due to the invasion of their lands.

In Brokilon, in addition to dryads and hamadryads, you can find leprechauns, pucks, and other nymphs such as rusalki. These and other races have made this region virtually inaccessible to humans, earning it the name 'Forest of Death'.

Furthermore, Brokilon is located at the intersection of four kingdoms, giving it great strategic value. Therefore, each of the kingdoms have established villages in a safe zone near Brokilon, where the dryads will not attack the humans. Because Verden is a vassal state of Cintra, said town is under the control of Cintra. No military forces have been deployed, only spies. These peoples are in conflict with both the dryads and the peoples of the other three kingdoms.

These four countries also have a tacit understanding to call their town Brokilon, as if this way they can declare their sovereignty over this land.

And now, everyone is unaware that the Earl Lannister, famous throughout Cintra, will arrive for the first time in his territory, the Brokilon town of Cintra.

The portal that distorted space emitted an intense glow, and then four people and one horse appeared at the gate of the town. The guards guarding the entrance were alarmed at the sight of them, but relaxed as they recognized the armor and, in particular, Lann after seeing his family crest.

Black Wind was very impatient and restless, pawing his hooves on the ground. He wanted to move forward but was stopped by the reins. Lann soothed softly. "Are you also worried about Ciri? Don't worry, you will see her soon. I promise."

Soon, someone from inside the village began shouting, asking for confirmation of the identity of the new arrivals.

Swade took a step forward and threw out the identification mark engraved with the Lannister family crest, while shouting: "Before you are the lord of Brokilon, the young lion of Cintra, Earl Lann Lannister! Summon your mayor to come quickly!"

The town immediately became panicked.

Lann held Swade's shoulders and shook his head, stepping into the town first.

The mayor came running towards him in a hurry.

The mayor hurried over when he saw Lann, and was about to bow: "We didn't know that the earl had come so far..."

Lann waved his hand to block the mayor's words. He was not a person who cared about the red tape of this era. Although he used to adapt to local customs in the capital, now the situation was urgent, and it was not the time to worry about such things.

"Princess Cirilla is missing in Brokilon Forest. You must have known about it for a long time. I need to mobilize all the people in the town to follow me to track down the whereabouts of the princess."

"Of course... Of course..." Even when he heard that the destination was the Forest of Death, the mayor agreed without any hesitation. He naturally knew the seriousness of the matter, but then he hesitated. "But... My Lord, we may not have many manpower."

Lann frowned. "Why? Do you know the importance of this matter?"

The mayor trembled but replied loudly: "Her Royal Highness is more important than the entire town, but the earl doesn't know something. Some time ago, a flying monster appeared in the forest, specifically hunting merchants in the wild. Many townspeople and soldiers who went to investigate were brutally murdered."

"There are only about a hundred guards in the town. Some of them are dead and others are injured. Now there are not many soldiers that the town can use."

"Why don't they ask nearby towns or the kingdom for help?"

Lann just asked, but he didn't expect that the system's prompt tone suddenly sounded at this time.

[Mission Discovered-Isolated and Unaided: The border town is being harassed by monsters attacking merchants and villagers. It seems that you can help them, since you are their lord.]

[Accept/Reject]

Lann regretted asking that question, as he realized that he had triggered a new quest.

This is the first time a 'monster hunting mission' has appeared. Normally, he would be ecstatic, but now is definitely not the time to deal with this matter.

Maybe he could deal with it after finding Ciri and Geralt.

After a moment of silence, Lann said: "Leave a basic defense force in the village and take good care of the wounded. Select scouts with reconnaissance skills to form a team under my command. Can we put together a team of twelve people? Later, significant forces will arrive from the capital"

"Of course, you can, of course you can, thank you for your understanding, My Lord."

"Also, let's ask if there are any hunters or townspeople who are familiar with the forest who are willing to join our team. I will give they a great reward."

"Also, make sure to select the most experienced ones. Don't let people who don't understand the situation join in and risk their lives."

The mayor bent even lower. "Yes, My Lord."

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